2 Movies Like Immoral Tales (1974)

When stuck in a jail cell, it’s better to be stuck with someone you agree with, otherwise, your stay can be quite terrible. But other times, being stuck with someone fundamentally different from you can challenge you to be an entirely new person. Kiss of the Spider Woman is one such film centered on two very different people, but it’s these differences that make a life-changing experience. While telling their stories– Molina with his dramatic romance films, and Valentin with his difficult life story, both through films-within-a film– they finally feel heard by each other and learn to look at life in a different way, much to the disapproval of the fascist dictatorship they live under. Though its escapist approach may suggest otherwise, Kiss of the Spider Woman realistically explores the way storytelling has always meant freedom.

Genre: Drama

Actor: Denise Dumont, José Lewgoy, Miguel Falabella, Miriam Pires, Nildo Parente, Patricio Bisso, Raúl Juliá, Sônia Braga, William Hurt

Director: Héctor Babenco

Rating: R

The tired stereotype is that in horror films, it’s always the Black characters who are the first to die. The Blackening turns that on its head and gives us an interesting premise by asking, what if all the characters are Black? While it’s not the first film to do this (in fact, a lot of Black creatives are reclaiming horror and dominating the genre), it just might be the first to tackle the issue in a smart and funny way. This is a ridiculous parody filled with outsized performances and observational jokes, but it’s equally meta and socially aware as it literally (and thankfully) beats the stereotype to its final death. 

 

Genre: Comedy, Horror

Actor: Antoinette Robertson, Dewayne Perkins, Diedrich Bader, George Fisher, Grace Byers, James Preston Rogers, Jay Pharoah, Jermaine Fowler, Melvin Gregg, Sinqua Walls, X Mayo, Yvonne Orji

Director: Tim Story

Rating: R